RU2746963C2 - Flow blocking flap assembly, the body of a flow blocking flap assembly and the method for manufacturing a flow blocking flap for a gas turbine engine - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: gas turbine engines.SUBSTANCE: present invention relates to a gas turbine engine assembly and namely to a flow blocking flap. A flow blocking flap assembly used in a gas turbine engine has a front sheet. The front sheet has a lot of holes to provide noise cancellation. The flow blocking flap assembly also has a body connected to the front sheet. The body has a back sheet made in one piece with honeycomb filler and molded from thermoplastic material.EFFECT: invention makes it possible to adjust the honeycomb structure of the flow blocking flap in accordance with the required technical characteristics as well as to reduce the weight of the flow blocking flap.20 cl, 20 dwg

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The illustrative embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to engine assemblies, in particular to a thermoplastic flow blocking flap that may be used in one of the engine assemblies.

The engine assemblies may comprise a fan assembly, an inner loop of a gas turbine engine surrounded by an annular inner-loop hood, and a fan cowl that surrounds a portion of the inner-loop of a gas turbine engine. The fan cowl as a whole is radially outwardly spaced from the annular inner-loop cowl such that the annular inner-loop cowl and the fan cowl form a fan duct terminating at the fan outlet nozzle. At least some of the engine assemblies include a reversing device assembly. The reversing device assembly may comprise a first stationary hood and a second hood axially movable relative to the first hood. At least some of the reversing device assemblies contain flaps or flow blocking panels that actively move into the outer loop of the engine when the reversing device is deployed through rods or other mechanical means to block or delay the flow of outer loop air through the fan outlet nozzle. Fan air passing through the outer loop can be diverted to provide reverse thrust, for example through swivel blade groups located in the grill block.

At least some of the known flow-blocking flaps are made of an upper skin and a lower skin that surrounds an aluminum honeycomb core bonded to these skins by means of an adhesive. For structural reasons, the honeycomb core can comprise a denser portion as well as a less dense portion subject to lower structural loads. In addition, the denser portion of the honeycomb core can be filled with a sealing compound to allow the honeycomb core to withstand heavy loads. However, in addition to increasing the weight of the flow-blocking flap, the sealing compound has an undesirable effect on the sound attenuation characteristics of the honeycomb core.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, a flow blocking flap assembly is provided for use in a gas turbine engine. The flow blocking flap assembly comprises a face sheet having a plurality of holes to provide noise attenuation and a body portion connected to the face sheet. The body part contains a back sheet made in one piece with a honeycomb core, the body part being molded from a thermoplastic material.

In yet another aspect, there is provided a body portion of a flow blocking flap assembly for use in a gas turbine engine. The body part contains a back sheet and a honeycomb core made in one piece with a back sheet of thermoplastic material and containing a plurality of cells having a plurality of walls.

In yet another aspect, a method of making a flow blocking flap for use in a gas turbine engine is provided. The method includes forming a face sheet from a thermoplastic material and / or a composite material. The method also includes forming a body portion from a thermoplastic material by molding. Forming the body portion includes molding a honeycomb core and a backsheet of thermoplastic material in one piece. The method further includes bonding the face sheet to the body portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an example of an engine assembly.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a portion of the engine assembly shown in FIG. one

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view illustrating an example of a reversing device assembly in a retracted state.

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view illustrating the reversing device assembly shown in FIG. 3 fully unfolded.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one example of a flow blocking flap assembly for use with the reversing device assembly of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of one embodiment of a flow blocking flap body for use with the flow blocking flap assembly of FIG. five.

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the body portion of the flow blocking flap shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an exploded sectional side view of yet another embodiment of a flow blocking flap for use with the flow blocking flap assembly of FIG. five.

FIG. 9 is an exploded top view of the flow blocking flap of FIG. eight.

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an example of a method for manufacturing the flow blocking flap shown in FIG. five.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a compression molding assembly that may be used to mold the body portion of the flow blocking flap shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a compression molding assembly prior to molding a body portion of a flow blocking flap.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the compression molding assembly after the body portion of the flow blocking flap is molded.

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of a punch assembly that may be used with the compression molding assembly.

FIG. 15 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a portion of a compression molding unit illustrating a punch plate and a plurality of core inserts.

FIG. 16 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a portion of a compression molding unit illustrating a punch plate and a plurality of core inserts.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a push assembly that may be used with the compression molding assembly.

FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of a lower forming assembly that may be used with a compression molding assembly.

FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view of the lower forming unit of FIG. 18 illustrating a plurality of removable inserts for mounting structures.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for manufacturing a flow blocking flap using a compression molding assembly.

CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The embodiments provided herein describe a flow blocking flap assembly for use in a gas turbine engine. The flow blocking flap assembly comprises a flow blocking flap having a plurality of mounting structures and a body portion made in one piece with said mounting structures. In addition, the body portion is formed from a thermoplastic material using a thermoplastic forming process such as, but not limited to, injection molding and compression molding. The flow blocking flap also comprises a face sheet connected to the body portion, the face sheet also being formed from a thermoplastic material. Therefore, the body portion and the face sheet are thermally bonded or adhesively bonded to each other to form an integral component.

As described herein, an integral thermoplastic flow blocking flap has a number of advantages over prior art flow blocking flaps made of different materials that are bonded together. For example, prior art flow-blocking flaps are made from a top skin and a bottom skin that surrounds an aluminum honeycomb core bonded to these skins by means of an adhesive. Aluminum honeycomb often has standard cell heights and wall thicknesses. A portion of the honeycomb may be filled with a sealing compound to enable the honeycomb to withstand heavy loads if standard dimensions are out of specification. However, in addition to increasing the weight of the blocking flap, the sealing compound has an undesirable effect on the sound attenuation characteristics of the aluminum honeycomb core. The use of a thermoplastic material prevents the use of standard sized honeycombs and also prevents the use of a honeycomb filling compound as the cell height and wall thickness can be adjusted to meet the required specifications. In addition, different portions of the honeycomb body can have different cell sizes to accommodate different loads or noise reduction requirements. This cell size setting provides improved noise reduction. In addition, the use of a thermoplastic material to replace the aluminum siding and honeycomb results in a reduction in the weight of the flow-block flap and in lower costs by reducing the amount of material and labor costs.

The singular does not exclude the plural, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

The language used in the specification and claims as used herein can be used to modify any quantitative representation that may vary within acceptable limits without altering the underlying function with which it is associated. Accordingly, a value modified by a term or terms such as "about", "approximately" and "substantially" should not be considered to be limited to a predetermined precise value. In at least some examples, the wording for the approximate expression of a quantity may correspond to the accuracy of the instrument for measuring the value. In the description and claims set forth herein, the limits of the range may be combined and / or interchanged; such ranges are defined and contain all their subranges, unless context or wording indicates otherwise.

As used herein, the terms "first", "second" and "third" may be used interchangeably to distinguish one component from another, and these terms are not intended to denote the location or importance of individual components. The term "material with a low coefficient of thermal expansion" refers to a material that grows to a relatively lesser extent with increasing temperature.

As used herein, the terms "axial" and "axially" refer to a direction and orientation that run substantially parallel to the central axis of the turbine engine. The term "forward" when used in conjunction with the term "axial" or "axially" refers to movement towards the engine intake or a component relatively closer to the engine intake as compared to another component. The term "rear", when used in conjunction with the term "axial" or "axially," refers to movement towards the engine outlet or a component relatively closer to the engine outlet as compared to another component. In addition, the terms "radial" and "radially" refer to direction and orientation that run substantially perpendicular to the centerline of the turbine engine.

All direction references (e.g. radial, axial, near, far, top, bottom, up, down, left, right, side, front, back, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, counterclockwise clockwise) are used solely for identification purposes in order to help the reader understand the present invention, and are not intended to be limiting, particularly with regard to location, orientation, or application of the present invention. References to a connection method (eg, attached, coupled, coupled, and attached) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate elements between joining elements and relative movement between elements, unless otherwise indicated. Therefore, references to a connection method do not necessarily mean that the two elements are directly connected and rigidly connected to each other. The examples of the drawings are for illustration purposes only, and the dimensions, locations, order, and relative dimensions shown in the drawings accompanying this document may vary.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of a gas turbine engine 10. The function of a gas turbine engine is to extract energy from high pressure and high temperature combustion gases and to convert this energy into mechanical energy for operation. The gas turbine engine 10 has an inlet end 12, with air entering the internal circuit 13 of the engine after passing through the fan section 18. The engine fairing 19 surrounds the inner contour 13 of the engine and the fan section 18 in such a way that an outer contour 22 is formed between the outer wall 23 of the inner contour 13 of the engine and the fairing 19. The inner contour 13 of the engine is formed as a whole by a compressor 14, a combustion chamber 16, a multistage turbine 20 high pressure (HPT) and a separate low pressure turbine 21 (LPT).

Collectively, the inner motor circuit 13 provides thrust or power during operation. The gas turbine engine 10 can be used in aviation, power generation, industry, marine, or the like.

During operation, air enters through the air inlet end 12 of the engine 10 and passes through at least one pressing step, which increases the pressure of the air, which is directed into the combustion chamber 16. The pressurized air is mixed with the fuel and burned to provide hot combustion gases that exit the combustion chamber 16 towards the high pressure turbine 20. In the high pressure turbine 20, energy is extracted from the hot combustion gases, which causes the turbine blades to rotate, which in turn causes the first shaft 24 to rotate about the engine axis 26. The shaft 24 extends towards the front to allow one or more compressor stages 14, fan section 18, or fan inlet blades to continue rotating, depending on the design of the turbine. The fan section 18 is connected by a second shaft 28 to a low pressure turbine 21 and provides thrust for the turbine engine 10 by venting air through the outlet end 15 of the engine 10. The low pressure turbine 21 can also be used to extract additional power and supply power to additional compressor stages.

As shown in FIG. 2-4, in one exemplary embodiment, the engine 10 includes a reversing device assembly 100 that includes a movable hood 102 that forms part of the fairing 19. FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the reversing device assembly 100. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the reversing device assembly 100 illustrating the movable hood 102 and the hood latch flap assembly 104 in a first operating position (ie, retracted). FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the reversing device assembly 100 illustrating the movable hood 102 and the flow blocking flap assembly 104 in a second operating position (i.e., a fully relocated state). When the movable hood 102 is in a fully relocated position, the flow blocking flap assembly 104 passively extends radially into the outer loop 22 to block or prevent air from the fan from flowing through the outlet end 15 (shown in FIG. 1) so that air from the fan is directed through the reversing device assembly 100 to provide reverse thrust (i.e., to fully deploy the reversing device assembly).

In one exemplary embodiment, the movable hood 102 includes a radially inner panel 106 and a radially outer panel 108 positioned and configured to define a space 110 therebetween. movable by the hood 102 and located at least partially in the space 110 for selectively moving the hood 102 as a whole in the axial direction. In one exemplary implementation, the drive unit 112 may be electrically, pneumatically, or hydraulically actuated to move the hood 102 between operating positions. The wing box 114 is connected to the drive unit 112 near the forward end 116 of the movable hood 102 and facilitates the operation of the drive unit 112.

The illustrative embodiment also includes a plurality of reversing elements 118 disposed in the space 110 respectively between the radial inner and outer panels 106 and 108 to selectively open and close them by the movable hood 102. Thus, when the movable hood 102 is located in the retracted operating position, the reversing device element 118 is closed, and when the movable hood 102 is in the fully relocated operating position, the reversing device element 118 is completely open. Illustrative embodiments use suitable flow and seal elements to provide a sealing (eg, airtight) interaction between the components. In one exemplary embodiment, the reverse elements 118 are stationary sequential structures having a plurality of sequential rotatable lattice blades 120. In addition, a support ring 122 is coupled to the rear ends of the reverse members 118 to provide support for the members 118.

During operation, when the movable hood 102 is in the retracted operating position (see FIG. 3), air in the outer circuit 22 is generally directed from the outlet end 15 in a straight-draft mode. To provide reverse thrust, the movable hood 102 is moved to a fully relocated operating position (see FIG. 4), in which the reverse elements 118 are exposed and the air flow is directed by the pivoting blades 120.

As shown in FIG. 3 and 4, the flow blocking flap assembly 104 comprises a base 124 connected to the outer wall 23 and a rod 126 connected to the base 124 and extending through the outer loop 22. In one illustrative embodiment, the flow blocking flap assembly 104 also includes a blocking flap 128 pivotally coupled to a rod 126, and an inner panel 106 of the bonnet 102. The flow blocking flap 128 is radially movable by pivoting about the pivot 129 when subjected to a sufficient aerodynamic load when the reverse device 100 assembly 100 is fully unfolded, and engine power and airflow are increased. As shown by way of example in FIG. 4, the flow blocking flap 128 cooperates with the outer wall 23 to block or obstruct the flow of air through the outer loop 22, and instead the air flow is directed through the reversing device assembly 100 and reversed by the pivoting vanes 120 to provide reverse thrust. Thus, the flow blocking flap 128 is driven passively (eg, by air flow) rather than being actively rotated by a mechanical drive or other mechanism. Alternatively, the flow blocking flap 128 is actively operated by a mechanical drive or other mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a flow blocking flap assembly 104 for use with the traction assembly shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 6 is a top view of the body portion 130 of the flow-blocking flap 128, and FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of body 130. In one embodiment, the flow-blocking flap 128 includes a body portion 130, a plurality of mounting structures 132, and a bezel 134. In particular, the body 130 is molded from a thermoplastic material such that the body 130 is formed in integral with the mounting structures 132. Molding of the thermoplastic material may be accomplished by injection molding or compression molding. In yet another embodiment, any thermoplastic material molding process can be used to integrally form the body portion 130 and the mounting structures 132. In one embodiment, the thermoplastic material comprises at least one of the following materials: polyetheretherketone, polyethersulfone, polyetheretherketone, polyphenylsulfone. polyphenylene sulfide and polyetherimide. In yet another embodiment, the thermoplastic material comprises any high temperature and chemical resistant resin.

In an exemplary embodiment, body portion 130 includes a backsheet 136 that is integrally formed or molded with a honeycomb core 137 of thermoplastic material. In particular, the thermoplastic material is injection-molded or compression-molded to form a backsheet 136 and honeycomb 137. As further described below, the use of a thermoplastic material allows the cell wall height and thickness of the honeycomb 137 to be adjusted to meet desired specifications. In addition, different portions of the honeycomb body can have different cell sizes to accommodate different load or noise reduction requirements. This precise cell size design allows for increased noise reduction. Accordingly, the fasteners 132, backsheet 136, and honeycomb core 137 are simultaneously formed in one piece from a thermoplastic material.

As shown in FIG. 7, body portion 130 includes a backsheet 136 integral with honeycomb core 137. In one embodiment, core 137 comprises a plurality of cells 170 that comprise a plurality of walls 172 to form each cell 170. As described above, core 137 is configured with the ability to adjust its parameters so that the thickness and height of the walls 172 changes based on its location on the body 130. In particular, each group of cells 170 is defined by walls 172 having a predetermined thickness that is different from the wall thickness in every other group of cells.

In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of cells 170 comprises a first set of cells 174 that are formed by a first set of walls 176, a second set of cells 178 that are defined by a second set of walls 180, a third set of cells 182 that are formed by a third set of walls 184, and a fourth set cells 186, which are formed by the fourth group of walls 188. In particular, the walls 176 from the first group 174 have a first thickness T1 that is greater than the thickness T2 of the walls 180 from the second group 178. Similarly, the walls 184 from the third group 182 have a third thickness T3, which is less than the thicknesses T1 and T2, but greater than the thickness T4 of the walls 188 of the fourth group 186. Although the body portion 130 is shown to have four groups of cells 170 and walls 172, the body portion 130 may have more or fewer groups of cells 170 and walls 172. In general, body portion 130 includes any number of groups of cells 170 and corresponding walls 172 that are necessary to facilitate fu naming the body 130 as described herein.

Body portion 130 also includes a plurality of ribs 190 that are integral or molded with honeycomb 137 and backsheet 136 to provide additional strength to body portion 130. Ribs 190 extend from backsheet 136 towards the distal end of walls 172. In particular , the ribs 190 extend a first distance from the backsheet 136, and the walls 172 extend a second distance that is greater than the first distance, so that the cells 170 are above the ribs 190. In one embodiment, the ribs 190 include a pair of ribs 190 that extend from the central region 192 filler 137 towards the corner of body 130. The ribs of a pair of ribs 190 are parallel to each other to further strengthen the body 130. In addition, ribs 190 extend adjacent to the mesh sets 174 and 178 having the thickest walls 176 and 180, so that the close relative position of the ribs 190 and thick walls 176 and 180 provide a localized region of relative to the body part 130.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the flow-blocking flap 128 for use with the flow-blocking flap assembly 104, and FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the flow blocking flap 128. In yet another embodiment, the backsheet 136 is a one-piece laminate over which is injection molded or compression molded thermoplastic material to form the mounting structures 132 and body portion 130 around the laminated backsheet 136. Therefore, the mounting structures 132 molded with the body portion 130 such that the mounting structures 132 and the body portion 130 are integrally formed. In yet another embodiment, the mounting structures 132 are connected to the thermoplastic body 130 after the body 130 is formed. In addition, machining of the integral mounting structures 132, such as drilling of at least one through hole 138, may be completed after the formation the body part 130 of the mounting structures 132.

In an exemplary embodiment, the bezel 134 is connected to the inner surface 140 of the body portion 130 such that the bezel 134 is exposed to the outer contour 22 of the engine (shown in FIG. 4). IN

in an exemplary embodiment, the face sheet 134 is formed from the same thermoplastic material as the body portion 130. In yet another embodiment, the face sheet 134 is formed from a thermoplastic material other than the thermoplastic material that forms the body portion 130. In yet another embodiment in an embodiment, the topsheet 134 is formed from a plurality of layers 142 of material. Specifically, the topsheet 134 is formed from about 3 to about 20 layers 142 that are pressed together. The plurality of layers 142 can be a thermoplastic material or a composite thermoplastic material such as, but not limited to, carbon fiber, or can be a thermosetting material.

In addition, in an exemplary embodiment, the face sheet 134 includes a plurality of through-holes 144 formed therein (as shown in FIG. 9). The holes 144 provide attenuation of the noise generated in the engine 10 to reduce the noise level from the engine 10. In one embodiment, each hole 144 is between about 0.02 inches (0.508 mm) and 0.06 inches (1.524 mm). ... In particular, each hole 144 is approximately 0.04 inches (1.016 mm) in size. In yet another embodiment, openings 144 comprise any size that allows the flow blocking flap 128 of the flow blocking flap assembly 104 to operate as described herein. In addition, the openings 144 can be of any shape, such as, but not limited to, circular, elliptical, or rectangular, which allows the flow blocking flap 128 of the flow blocking flap assembly 104 to operate as described herein. In an exemplary embodiment, the holes 144 are formed in conjunction with the face sheet 134 by hot punching or drilled (by multi-head drilling or hammer drilling) after the face sheet 134 is formed.

As described herein, in one embodiment, the face sheet 134 is bonded to the body portion 130 using a thermal bonding process. This thermal bond thermally welds the body portion 130 to the face sheet 134 such that they form an integral component. In yet another embodiment, the face sheet 134 is bonded to the body portion 130 using an adhesive bond. In yet another embodiment, the flow-blocking flap 128 includes a plurality of mechanical fasteners 146 that provide bonding of the faceplate 134 to the body portion 130. Any combination of thermal bonding, adhesive bonding, and fasteners 146 may be used to bond the faceplate 134 to the body portion. 130.

In one embodiment, the body portion 130 includes a first portion 148 and a second portion 150. In such configurations, the flow blocking flap 128 includes an intermediate sheet 152 connected between the first portion 148 and the second portion 150. In an exemplary embodiment, the intermediate sheet 152 is formed of the same thermoplastic material as the body portion 130. In yet another embodiment, the intermediate sheet 152 is formed from a thermoplastic material other than the thermoplastic material that forms the body portion 130. In yet another embodiment, the intermediate sheet 152 is formed from a thin sheet of fabric ... The intermediate sheet 152 includes a plurality of raised projections 154 that correspond to the plurality of recesses 156 formed in the body portion 130. The projections 154 of the intermediate sheet 152, when combined with the recesses 156 of the body portions 148 and 150, attenuate the noise generated in the engine 10 to reduce the noise level emitted from the engine 10. In another embodiment, the intermediate sheet 152 does not have a projection 154 and is substantially flat. In an exemplary embodiment, the intermediate sheet 152 has a thickness of between about 0.002 inches (0.051 mm) and 0.008 inches (0.203 mm). In particular, the intermediate sheet 152 has a thickness of approximately 0.005 inches (0.127 mm). In yet another embodiment, the intermediate sheet 152 is of any thickness that allows the flow blocking flap 128 of the flow blocking flap assembly 104 to function as described herein.

As described above with respect to the face sheet 134 and the body portion 130, the intermediate sheet 152 is bonded between the first and second portions 148 and 150 of the body portion 130 using a thermal bonding process. This thermal bonding process thermally welds the intermediate sheet 152 between the first and second portions 148 and 150 such that the first and second portions 148 and 150, the intermediate sheet 152, and the face sheet 134 form an integral component. In yet another embodiment, the intermediate sheet 152 is bonded between the first and second portions 148 and 150 using an adhesive bond. In yet another embodiment, mechanical fasteners 146 facilitate joining intermediate sheet 152 between first and second portions 148 and 150. Any combination of thermal bonding, adhesive bonding, and fasteners 146 may be used to connect intermediate sheet 152 between first and second portions 148 and 150 body 130.

In one embodiment, the flow-blocking flap 128 also includes a sealing member 158 (shown in FIG. 5) connected at least about a portion of the perimeter of the body portion 130. The sealing member 158 forms a seal between the flow-blocking flap 128 and at least one inner panel 106 the movable hood assembly 102 (both shown in FIG. 3) and / or the inner panel 160 of the caisson 114 (both shown in FIG. 3). As such, the sealing member 158 prevents or reduces the escape of air from the outer circuit 22 through the movable bonnet assembly 102 when the flow blocking flap assembly 104 is not deployed, as shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method 300 for manufacturing a flow-blocking flap 128. The method 300 includes forming 302 a face sheet, such as a face sheet 134, from a thermoplastic material and / or a composite material, and forming 304 a body portion, such as a body portion 130, from a thermoplastic material using one of the following: injection molding, molding pressing or other thermoplastic molding process. In one embodiment, formation 304 includes integral honeycomb core, such as core 137, and backsheet, such as backsheet 136, of thermoplastic material. The method 300 further includes bonding 308 of the face sheet to the body portion using at least a thermal bond, an adhesive bond, or the use of a plurality of mechanical fasteners.

FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of a compression molding assembly 200 that may be used to mold body 130 by compression (shown in FIGS. 6 and 7) of a flow blocking flap 128 (shown in FIG. 5). In particular, assembly 200 is used to integrally form backsheet 136 and honeycomb 137. In an exemplary embodiment, assembly 200 includes an upper forming assembly 202 and a lower forming assembly 204, which are combined to form the body portion 130 by extrusion from a thermoplastic material in one piece.

FIG. 12 is a side view of the compression molding assembly 200 prior to molding the body portion 130 of the flow blocking flap, and FIG. 13 shows a side view of the compression molding assembly 200 after the body portion 130 of the flow blocking flap is molded. As shown in FIG. 12 and 13, the upper forming unit 202 includes a punch plate 206 having a bottom surface 208 that defines the profile of the body portion 130. The punch plate 206 also includes a plurality of heating channels 210 and a plurality of cooling channels 212 extending through the punch plate 206 at a variable distance from to each other. Channels 210 and 212 are configured to supply heat to thermoplastic material 214 or to remove heat from this thermoplastic material 214 during molding to allow material 214 to melt to form or cure this material 214 after molding. To measure the temperature of the punch plate 206 and / or material 214, a plurality of thermocouples 216 are also provided in the punch plate 206.

In an exemplary embodiment, punch plate 206 also includes a plurality of holes 218 formed therein. Holes 218 are formed in surface 208 and extend through punch plate 206 perpendicular to channels 210 and 212. Upper forming unit 202 further comprises a plurality of aggregate inserts 220 connected to punch plate 206 is detachable such that each hole 218 receives a corresponding one of the filler inserts 220. As described herein, the aggregate inserts 220 are detachably coupled to a corresponding opening 218 of the plurality of openings 218 to form a honeycomb core 137 of the flow blocking flap body portion 130. In particular, each core insert 220 forms a corresponding cell 170 (shown in FIG. 7) from a plurality of cells 170, and a gap (not shown in FIGS. 12 or 13) between adjacent core inserts 220 forms a corresponding wall 172 (shown in FIG. 7) from a plurality of walls 172.

The upper forming unit 202 also includes a plurality of guide pins 222 that guide the punch plate 206 towards the lower forming unit 204 during forming. As further described herein, the lower forming assembly 204 includes a plurality of sidewalls 224 and a profiling plate 226 that are combined to define a cavity (not shown in FIGS. 12 or 13) into which the mold material 214 is loaded. The profiling plate 226 also includes a plurality of heating ducts 228 and a plurality of cooling ducts 230 spaced at a variable distance from each other. As with punch plate 206, channels 228 and 230 are configured to supply heat to thermoplastic material 214 or to remove heat from thermoplastic material 214 during molding to allow material 214 to melt to form or cure material 214 after molding. A plurality of thermocouples 232 are also provided in the profiling plate 226 to measure the temperature of the profiling plate 226 and / or material 214.

FIG. 14 is a bottom perspective view of the upper mold assembly 202 illustrating the punch plate 206 and core inserts 220. FIG. 15 and 16 show perspective cross-sectional views of the punch plate 206, core inserts 220, and profiling plate 226. In an exemplary embodiment, the core inserts 220 comprise a plurality of sets of core inserts, each set of core inserts 220 having a different size on the size in every other group of filler inserts 220. In particular, as shown in FIG. 14, the upper forming unit 202 includes a first group 234 of inserts 220, a second group 236 of inserts 220, a third group 238 of inserts 220, and a fourth group of inserts 220 240. Each group 234, 236, 238 and 240 is different in size from each other group 234, 236 , 238 and 240. For example, the first group 234 contains inserts 220 of a first size, and the second group 236 contains inserts 220 of a second size different from the first size. Although the forming unit 202 is shown to have four groups of inserts 220, the forming unit 202 may have more or fewer groups of inserts 220. In general, the forming unit 202 contains any number of groups of inserts 220 required to operate the forming unit 202. as described in this document.

In an exemplary embodiment, each insert 220 is detachably coupled to punch plate 206 such that each insert is replaceable to accurately dimension the cells 170 in body 130 to meet the required strength requirements of body 130. In particular, smaller inserts 220 may be coupled to punch plate 206 in an area where increased strength is needed in body portion 130. Since the gaps between adjacent inserts 220 define the wall thickness 172 of honeycomb cells 170, the smaller the insert 220, the greater wall thickness and thus greater strength in this region of body 130. Similarly, in areas where increased strength is not necessary, larger inserts 220 can be used to reduce wall thickness, thereby reducing the weight of body 130. B due to this, the possibility Adjust the wall thickness settings for each cell 170 of honeycomb 137 based on the size of the insert 220 used for that cell 170, the size of the insert 220 being based on the required load capacity at the location of said cell 170 in the core 137.

As shown in FIG. 15 and 16, each core insert 220 is connected to a punch plate 206 using one of a plurality of removable fasteners 242. In an exemplary embodiment, fasteners 242 are inserted through hole 218 into hole 244 formed in insert 220. placeholder. Hole 244 and portion of fastener 242 are threaded to provide a connection. To ensure that the core insert is inserted in the proper orientation, an additional locking pin 246 is connected between each core insert 220 and the punch plate 206. In addition, the hole 244 includes a key hole 248 adapted to receive a key 250 to prevent rotation of the core insert 220.

FIG. 17 illustrates a perspective view of an ejector assembly 252 that may be used with a compression molding assembly 200 to eject a molded body portion 130 of the flow blocking flap from an upper mold assembly 202. In an exemplary embodiment, the ejector assembly 252 includes an ejector plate 254 and a plate 256. ejector holder coupled to the ejector plate 254 and punch plate 206. The plurality of ejection control plates 258 are coupled to the ejector plate 254 and move the ejector assembly 252 and the upper forming assembly 202 toward the lower forming assembly 204. The ejector assembly 252 also contains a plurality of ejector pins 260 that pass through a plurality of pin holes 262 (shown in FIG. 14) formed in the punch plate 206. In operation, as the upper forming unit 202 moves away from the lower forming unit 204, fully formed The molded body 130 also rises with it. The ejector unit 252 can be further lowered towards the upper forming unit 202 or held stationary, and the upper forming unit 202 can be moved to the ejector unit 252 to push the body portion 130 out of the upper forming unit 202. Plates 254 and 256 have guide holes 262 pins to allow the ejector assembly 252 to move along the guide posts 222. As the upper forming assembly 202 and the ejector assembly 252 come closer to each other, the ejector pins 260 pass through the pin holes 262 in the punch plate 206 and detach the body portion 130 from the punch plate 206 ...

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the lower shaping assembly 204 illustrating the sidewalls 224 connected to the profile plate 226. In one embodiment, the sidewalls 224 and the profile plate 226 define a cavity 266 into which thermoplastic material 214 is loaded to mold the lock flap body 130. The side walls 224 define the perimeter of the body 130 and are removable and replaceable to allow the use of the side walls 224 depending on the desired properties of the body 130. For example, if a specific feature is to be obtained along the perimeter portion of the body 130, then the lateral a wall 224 having such a particular feature may be located in the lower forming assembly 204. Thereafter, when the feature is no longer necessary, the original sidewall 224 may be located at the assembly 204. In an alternative embodiment, such a particular feature may be obtained by machining one or more of the side walls 224, but not the remaining side walls 224, the machined side wall 224 can then be returned to the assembly 204.

FIG. 19 is a bottom perspective view of the lower forming assembly 204 illustrating a plurality of removable inserts 268 for mounting structures. Each mounting structure insert 268 provides a fastening structure 132 on the body 130 and is inserted through a corresponding hole 270 in the profiling plate 226. The mounting structure inserts 268 provide at least one structure such as a hinge structure or a pull structure on the body 130 ... Alternatively, a mounting structure 268 may be used that does not form a structure on the body portion 130. Similar to the side walls 224, the mounting structure inserts 268 are removable and replaceable to allow different mounting structure inserts 268 depending on the desired mounting structure of body 130. In addition, mounting structure inserts 268 are modular to allow each insert 268 to be resized to form a different mounting structure 132 depending on the desired mounting structure 132 desired without having to modify other components of the compression molding assembly 200.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method 400 for forming a body portion 130 of a flow-blocking flap 128 using a compression molding assembly 200. As described above, body portion 130 comprises a honeycomb core 137 having a plurality of cells 170 formed by a plurality of walls 172. Method 400 includes connecting 402 a plurality of removable aggregate inserts 220 to a punch plate 206 of compression molding unit 200. In particular, joint 402 of core plugs 220 includes joint 402 of a plurality of sets 234, 236, 238, and 240 of core plugs 220, each set of core plugs being a different size than every other set of core plugs. For example, the connecting step 402 includes connecting to the punch plate 206 a first set of core insert 234 that has a first dimension and connecting 402 to the punch plate 206 of a second set 236 of fill inserts that has a second different size from the first dimension.

Method 400 also includes loading 404 of thermoplastic material 214 into compression molding assembly 200. In particular, material 214 is loaded 404 into a cavity 266 formed by side walls 224 and a profiling plate 226 of the lower forming unit 204. The punch plate 206 is then pressed 404 towards the forming unit 204 into the thermoplastic material 214, and the plurality of cells 170 of the honeycomb 137 into 408 is further profiled using a plurality of core inserts 220. Profiling 408 of said plurality of cells 170 includes profiling a first set of cells 174 with a first set 234 of multi-core core inserts 220 and profiling a second set of cells 178 with a second set 236 of multi-core core inserts 220.

In the embodiments disclosed herein, a flow blocking flap assembly for use in a gas turbine engine is described. The flow blocking flap assembly includes a face sheet having a plurality of holes to provide noise cancellation and a body portion connected to the face. The body portion comprises a back sheet integral with a honeycomb core, the body portion being molded from a thermoplastic material using one of the following methods: injection molding, compression molding, or other thermoplastic molding process. In addition, a compression molding unit for molding a honeycomb core of a flow-blocking flap is described herein, which comprises a plurality of cells formed by a plurality of walls. The compression molding unit comprises a punch plate having a plurality of holes made therein and a plurality of filler inserts connected to the punch plate. The core inserts are configured to shape the honeycomb core of the flow blocking flap. Each core insert is detachably connected to a corresponding hole from a plurality of holes in the punch plate such that each core insert is configured to form a corresponding cell from a plurality of cells.

As described herein, the integral thermoplastic flow blocking flap has a number of advantages over prior art flow blocking flaps made of different materials that are bonded together. For example, prior art flow-blocking flaps are made from a top skin and a bottom skin that surrounds an aluminum honeycomb core bonded to these skins by means of an adhesive. Aluminum honeycomb often has standard cell heights and wall thicknesses. A portion of the honeycomb core can be filled with a sealing compound, which allows the honeycomb core to withstand heavy loads if standard dimensions do not meet specifications. However, in addition to increasing the weight of the flow blocking flap, the sealing compound has an undesirable effect on the noise reduction performance of the aluminum honeycomb core. The use of molded thermoplastic eliminates the need for standard sized honeycombs and also prevents the use of a honeycomb filling compound as the cell height and wall thickness can be adjusted to meet the required specifications.

In addition, removable individual core inserts allow different honeycomb body portions to have different mesh sizes to accommodate different load or noise reduction requirements. This precise adherence to the dimensions of the honeycomb allows for increased stress on the body. In addition, the use of thermoplastic material to replace the aluminum siding and honeycomb results in a reduction in the weight of the flow-block flap and in cost savings by reducing the amount of material and labor costs.

In addition, each core insert is detachably coupled to the punch plate so that each core insert is replaceable, allowing the size of the honeycomb cells in the body to be adjusted to meet the required strength requirements. In particular, a smaller core insert can be connected to the punch plate in an area where increased strength is needed in the body portion. Since the gaps between adjacent aggregate inserts dictate the wall thickness of the honeycomb cells, inserting a smaller aggregate increases the wall thickness, which increases the strength in this region of the body portion. Likewise, in areas where increased strength is not necessary, a larger core insert can be used to reduce wall thickness and thus reduce body weight. Therefore, the wall thickness of each cell of the honeycomb can be adjusted based on the size of the core insert used for that cell, the size of the core insert being based on the required load capacity at the location of the cell in the honeycomb.

This written description uses examples to disclose various embodiments, including a preferred embodiment, allowing any person skilled in the art to apply various embodiments, including creating and using any device or system, and performing any methods provided. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the claims and may contain other examples that may occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are within the scope of the claims if they contain structural elements that do not differ in terms of their wording from the claims, or contain equivalent structural elements that differ insignificantly in terms of their wording from the claims.

Claims (30)

1. A flow blocking flap assembly for use in a gas turbine engine, comprising: a face sheet having multiple holes to provide noise cancellation, and a body part connected to the face sheet and containing a back sheet made in one piece with a honeycomb core, the body portion being molded from a thermoplastic material. 2. The flow blocking flap assembly according to claim 1, wherein the body portion comprises a plurality of mounting structures integral with the backsheet and honeycomb core. 3. The flow blocking flap assembly of claim 1, wherein the face sheet is formed from a thermoplastic material. 4. The flow blocking flap assembly of claim 1, wherein the honeycomb core comprises a plurality of cells having a plurality of walls, said plurality of cells comprising a plurality of cell groups, each of which has a different wall thickness than every other cell group. 5. The flow blocking flap assembly of claim 1, wherein the face sheet is connected to the body portion by at least one of thermal bonding, adhesive bonding, and a plurality of mechanical fasteners. 6. The flow blocking flap assembly of claim 1, wherein the body portion comprises a first portion and a second portion, the flow blocking flap assembly further comprising an intermediate sheet connected between the first and second portions. 7. The flow blocking flap assembly of claim 6, wherein the intermediate sheet is formed from a thermoplastic material and provides noise suppression. 8. The body portion of the flow blocking flap assembly for use in a gas turbine engine, comprising: back sheet and honeycomb core integral with a backsheet of thermoplastic material and containing a plurality of cells having a plurality of walls. 9. The body portion of claim 8, wherein said plurality of cells comprises a plurality of cell groups, each of which has a different wall thickness from that of every other cell group. 10. The body part of claim 9, wherein said plurality of cells comprises a first group of cells, each of which contains a first group of walls, and a second group of cells, each of which contains a second group of walls, wherein the first group of walls has a first thickness, and the second the group of walls has a second thickness that is greater than the first thickness. 11. The body part according to claim 10, further comprising at least one stiffening rib made in one piece with the back sheet and the honeycomb core, the second group of cells being disposed adjacent to said stiffening rib. 12. The body portion of claim 8, further comprising at least one stiffening rib made in one piece with the backsheet and honeycomb core. 13. The body portion of claim 12, wherein said at least one rib extends from the backsheet toward a distal end of said plurality of walls and extends a first distance from the backsheet, and said plurality of walls extends a second distance from the backsheet, which is greater than the first distance. 14. The body portion of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of mounting structures integral with the honeycomb core and the backsheet. 15. A method of manufacturing a flow blocking flap for use in a gas turbine engine, comprising: forming a face sheet from a thermoplastic material and / or a composite material, and forming a body portion from a thermoplastic material by molding, comprising forming a honeycomb core and a backsheet of thermoplastic material in one piece, and connection of the front sheet with the body part. 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising forming the plurality of fastening mechanisms in one piece with the body portion by co-molding said fastening mechanisms with a thermoplastic material. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming a plurality of holes in the backsheet to provide noise cancellation. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein forming a honeycomb core comprises forming a honeycomb core having a plurality of cells having a plurality of walls, said plurality of cells comprising a plurality of cell groups, each of which has a different wall thickness from the wall thickness in each other group cells. 19. The method of claim. 16, wherein joining the face sheet to the body portion comprises joining the face sheet to the body portion by at least thermal bonding, adhesive bonding, or a plurality of mechanical fasteners. 20. The method of claim 15, wherein forming the body portion includes forming the first body portion and forming the second body portion, and said method further comprises: forming an intermediate sheet of thermoplastic material and connecting the intermediate sheet between the first body part and the second body part.

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